


Surprisingly Mature

by Fan_Galaxy



Category: Black Clover - Tabata Yuki (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Also some cursing here and there, As usual I'll add them as they show, Gen, I kept having to change Asta's dialogue, RIP, but its pretty rare, just a Warning tho, the words were too Big for his use
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:14:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23728138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fan_Galaxy/pseuds/Fan_Galaxy
Summary: How the Bulls learn of Asta's almost-surprising emotional maturity and intelligence, one person at a time.
Relationships: Asta & Black Bulls Ensemble
Comments: 10
Kudos: 155





	1. Vanessa (late night questions about booze)

**Author's Note:**

> Hooo boy! Finally time to crack out the multi chapter fics, and it's even the ones that are like this fandom's version of my class wide fics! Fun!! Don't mind my out-of-place characterization as we go along, ok, I'm at like. The Witch's Forest Arc and I'm acting like I know shit just cause

One day, Asta asked her, "Vanessa, why do you drink so often?"

Vanessa had a half-finished bottle in her hand, and she raised an eyebrow. An awfully odd question to ask. "Why do you ask, little boy?"

Asta shrugged, leaning back in his chair across from her at one of the tables in the main area of the Bulls' base. "I just...don't really get the appeal of being drunk all the time, I guess."

A curious smile pulled over her lips that she hid with another sip, shifting it to something more like her usual smile when she was talking. It was a bit late; dinner passed about 30 minutes ago, and the sun had already set. Maybe the night air got his gears turning. If nothing else, she always liked a new little adventure to mess around with. Accordingly, she sat her drink on the table and rested her chin on the back of one of her hands. "Why not?"

He sighed, pulling at his headband a little. (He always did that when he was looking for words.) "I guess I just...don't like the idea of...not knowing what's happening around me." He looked up at the ceiling, hooking his arms around the back of his chair. "I feel like there's so many important things you could miss...so many details about people that might have helped you understand them, or people trying to get your help. Or things you could say without meaning it, things you could do on accident."

Vanessa pondered that a moment. Well...he certainly wasn't wrong. He had a point. Then she snorted. Figures he would be worried about the people around him more than anything else, though.

He looked her in the eyes and unhooked his arms, sitting cross legged in his seat as he asked her, "So why do you drink so often? It just...doesn't make much sense to me."

Vanessa only had to take a moment to answer, smiling a little softly. "It makes me feel _free._ " She leaned back in her chair, letting her ease move her where it wanted to. "I can do what I want, when I want. I can say what I want without a care." She shrugged and leaned forward again, noticing Asta's eyes were all on her. "It isn't even an addiction or anything. I honestly only drink for the freedom, after all that time locked up."

Asta stared at her for a moment, gaze somehow calculating and distant all at once before he nodded. "I...think I kinda get what you mean." He looked up to the rafters again...always looking sky-high. "When I was younger, and even now, I'm always aiming higher. For better places. I haven't been...locked up in a tower or anything but…" he looked down again, and nodded. "It's...the same idea."

Vanessa paused for a moment. For her, that whole forest was her cage, outside of the literal one she inhabited. It was all she had known...til Yami busted her out. Later, she'd question herself if asking a 15-year-old this was a good idea. But she said it anyways; "Did you ever feel like that town was a cage? ...Hage?"

Asta stiffened a little in surprise at being asked a question himself before he seemed to process the words. And he shook his head. "...no. The town never felt like a cage. It was where I grew up, and I was _always_ content with its size. I knew I'd have to leave to fulfill my dreams-and so did Yuno-but it never felt like escaping anything. It felt like leaving home." He paused. "...though, some of the people...tried to _make_ it a cage."

She looked up, intrigued, and he continued on, one leg on the chair folded into his chest and the other hanging off. "A lot of the people were so _sure_ I'd come back without a magic knights robe, and that I'd come home alone. Like...like I didn't have anything to offer in the first place, except a role in their tiny town, and Yuno was just _destined_ for perfection-not that I'd ever blame him for their idea of him...." Asta trailed off and stared at a speck on the wall for a moment before his brows furrowed, and he spoke, resolute; "The town wasn't the cage. _They_ were."

Vanessa nodded.

Good words to go by, sometimes.

Home was sometimes home because of the location, and the few people you care for.

Not everyone had to be family.

Not everyone had to be home.

They simply sat in silence for a good while before Finral peeked downstairs and began squawking at Asta with his usual stupid mom routine-'it's too late for you to be up' this, 'you're only 15 you need proper sleep!' that. Bor-ing.

As Asta was dragged upstairs, Vanessa smiled into her bottle and took a swig.

"Cheers to how strangely emotionally intelligent that kid is," she murmured, before giggling at her own slur and glugging down a good few gulps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: I'm going through and adding my server's invite link to everything since I forgot the first time,,,,,,it's just an open space for everyone, so join if you'd like!  
> [the server!!](https://discord.gg/Tvt5DnW)


	2. Finral (love and hate in family relations and how to deal with it)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh SHIT boys, it's FINRAL TIME!! Also sidenote, I actually like,,,,used some of my irl experiences w a toxic friend I was in love with at the time to make this, so,,,,,hopefully it's kinda accurate! Also um,,,,a tears warning? I guess?? This fic contains like,,,,,,Actual Real Convos About Real Life Things, including toxic relationships. It's wild shit!! Thought I might tell you. Also Asta talks abt a random OC, but he's just a plot device, so don't worry about him.

Finral had been...a little off, lately.

He saw his little brother...about a week ago. Of course, this initiated his two week sulking process in which he mopes about Langris for a while.

People usually don't notice.

Asta isn't anything "usual".

So one afternoon, Finral teleported up to the roof to look out at the sunset, and Asta met him there.

He about jumped out of his skin before he realized it was just Asta, settling down. Part of him thought it might have been Yami, there to scold him for slacking off or something, but no. It was just Asta; almost as freakishly strong but a lot less terrifying.

Finral gave a wave to Asta and the same fake smile he'd been giving everyone lately. "Ah, Asta! Come up to see the view?"

Finral looked a little closer and his smile dropped. Asta had his Concerned Face on, that same one he wore every time he knew one of his friends had a problem he wanted to solve.

_Shit._

Asta sat next to him, looking him in the eyes and getting straight to the point; "Finral, is something wrong? You've been acting kind of weird ever since you went out to the capital last weekend…"

Finral chuckled nervously, but nodded, looking away. "Uh, yes. In all honesty, I...saw my brother."

Asta cocked his head. "Isn't that a good thing?"

And so, Finral was left explaining his whole situation with his brother, at the whims of a concerned Asta and the fact that the boy was kinder than anyone Finral had ever met.

He started with the fact that his brother just...always seemed to hate him.

Langris was always better than him, always hated him, but...he just felt like a failure for it. Just felt like a failure for not being a good role model.

And Langris...he hated Finral, and...part of Finral wanted to hate him back, but...but he couldn't.

Because there were faint memories of playing in the garden and talking normally and laughing and smiling.

...brothers.

Asta paused before sighing. "...yeah. Sometimes it's like that. Sometimes, people hate your guts, and you hate that they hate you for no apparent reason, but it's not like you can hate them back, right? They never did anything, or there's good memories somewhere in there."

Finral watched, a little wide-eyed, as a boy 6 years younger than him understood him entirely, and began to weave a thread of things even he barely realized.

"And sometimes, yeah, people you care for end up spoiled and rotten, like an apple you left out in the sun for too long-like, some people are like, 'gross, a bad apple', but that was like. Half your food for the day, was something you really wanted and cared for a lot, but now it's ruined, and it's not even your fault. Cause someone left it lying out or...or, I dunno...it walked out the door itself." Asta looked up at the sky as his metaphor unfolded. It was a weird analogy, but still worked well enough.

He rolled back in a backwards somersault and landed standing, eyes still aimed at the setting sun. "And...maybe every moment with them used to be sweet as honey, but now, it's bitter and gross. Like...like when someone gives you a really bitter tea and you put sugar and honey in it and then they pour more tea into the cup and it messes it up."

Finral laughed. "Yeah, I'm following. Somehow."

Asta flinched, drawing back a bit. "Ah, I'm sorry! I'm probably not making much sense." He laughed a little nervously, a hand making its way to his neck. "Yuno's always said my analogies were a little weird."

Finral shook his head with a smile. "No, they're actually helping me understand pretty well." It wasn't a lie, either.

Asta nodded. "Kay. That's good."

And for a moment, they sat there in silence.

Finral looked back at Asta to see his gaze a little glazed over, and he hunched down next to Finral in a squat, knees spread. "Y'know...I used to know a kid," he started. Finral turned his whole attention to Asta, caught up in his air. He was only 15, but right now, in this moment, he could've been Finral's age, or even older. His eyes were distant and his face was a little sad.

"He was...pretty nice. A year or two older than me and Yuno. We used to play with him a lot, in the forest, around the fields, wherever. He was rude, but carefree and fun and nice enough."

Asta sighed, and it sounded like a noise Yami would make.

"And...I dunno what happened. But he just...he slowly got worse and worse and worse. Angrier, ruder, louder. I'd try to ask him what was wrong and he'd yell at me in response." He finally sat down again, criss-cross this time, laughing-but...not lightly-as he rubbed his right cheek. "He even slapped me once. Said me and Yuno and the others couldn't understand, didn't know what he was going through. Yuno gave up early on, but I kept on holding out my hand."

(It seemed like, one day, Langris was willing to sneak out and play, and the next, he was hissing out insults in response.

It was gradual, he knew it, but it still felt like the flick of a switch.)

Asta smiled, but it was bitter and a little sharp.

"He never took it."

(Memories of Finral trying to get Langris to loosen up a little. Trying to talk to him. Always holding out a hand, one that was always slapped away.)

"Eventually, he got real ruthless about the whole 'no magic' thing...kept saying I would never be anything without magic." He drew his knees up to his chest. "...that's about when I stopped holding out my hand. Stopped talking to him, cut him off." A pause. "I could never handle stuff like that." He sighed again, a little weary. "I...always wonder if I should've kept holding out my hand. Always wonder if maybe, maybe, I was right next to a breakthrough." He looked up at the sky again, and Finral finally noticed the tears shining in both of their eyes. "I still think about him. Still think about how kind he used to be. And I always wonder what happened, why he changed like...like someone cast a spell with a snap of their fingers-" a light one of Asta's own filled the air- "and said it would be true. Because even if he's different now, he used to be...a lot better. And I never forget, cause, in the end…" Asta let out a little laugh and met Finral eye to eye. "He was like a brother to me."

Finral's eyes widened and his throat tightened a little further.

He looked away again, laughing a little more truthfully than earlier. "Y'know, he ended up in Golden Dawn, too. Yuno never liked him. Maybe he'll try and whip him into shape, ey?" Finral snorted and nodded back before silence fell between them again, and yet again, when Finral turned to Asta, it was to something thoughtful and wise, if only a little. "Just...what I'm trying to say is...your brother isn't the best person, but you still love him, and that's ok."

It was so _simple_...but it still hit him like a bolt of lightning.

"He's...he's family. And it's ok to abandon family when they aren't worth it, too, I've seen that, I know that. But if you still care about them when others would have abandoned them ages ago, then…" he shrugged, and laughed again. "I just think that's a testament to your kindness, tenacity, and empathy. Staying with them, even through everything bad." He nodded, smile his usual one this time as he looked up at Finral. "Yeah, that's how it should be!"

And then it dropped as he noticed Finral holding in sobs, tears dripping down his chin and his face in his hands. (Finral hadn't cried in front of someone in a while-this was new.)

The next while was devoted to Asta worrying loudly about what he'd done and Finral assuring him he hadn't done anything bad.

After he was calmed down though, Finral sighed with a smile and planted a hand on Asta's head. "God, you really are amazing, huh?" Asta just blinked back, and Finral laughed. "Telling a 21 year old things he's never heard when you're just 15."

It seemed to dawn on Asta, then, and he started rambling on about how he didn't mean to offend him, oh no, I tried to give advice to an adult-

Finral had to stop him again, grabbing Asta by the shoulders, laughing a little. "Asta, just because we're adults doesn't mean we know everything. But either way, your maturity at your age is astounding."

Asta's eyes widened on instinct. That...wasn't something he often heard. "M...maturity?"

Finral nodded, smiling easily as he let go and turned back to the sunset. "Mhm. Like I said, I'm 21 and I haven't come to some of those realizations."

Asta blinked before turning to it too. "Honestly, they're just...realizations I've happened across."

Finral settled a hand on his shoulder one more time. "Still pretty amazing Asta." And then pushed him backwards. "Now, you should really go tell the others where you ran off to; I'm sure they've torn the place apart looking for you. I promise I'll be right behind you."

Asta nodded eagerly and waved goodbye before dashing down the steps, and Finral was finally left alone with the sunset again-it was nearing dusk, dark twilight mingling with the bright hues the last rays of sun painted the world with.

Finral smiled again, laughing quietly to himself as he got up himself and opened up a portal. "He really is interesting, isn't he," he muttered to himself before stepping through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can't get away from a chapter of mine with a sunset in it without getting a flowery description of it, babey!!


	3. Noelle (two peasants, two sides of a coin, two kids who feel out of their depth)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so uhh,,,,,,in all honesty, this...wasn't meant to be Noelle's chapter. I was just thinking about how weird it is, as a kid myself (heyo 14 yr old) when adults praise me and stuff. Like...I dunno, it's just kinda weird. And y'know, Asta and Noelle are only like...15-16ish and they're being praised left and right by people so much higher in power or older than them...I feel like it'd feel like whiplash, especially to Asta...and then I got thinking about Noelle. But like...if you think this one feels a bit wonky, or it's lay out is kinda weird, just know it wasn't...meant to be what it is in the first place-it just...turned into it.
> 
> Also sorry if the message doesn't come off very well-I found it REALLY hard to find the right words to explain this feeling, since it's kinda abstract. It was especially hard finding simple words that fit Asta correctly.
> 
> Also um,,,,sorry if Noelle's character feels a little...wrong?? I'm not very good at adding in all of the tsundere stuff, and I thought that moment with the water bubble imitating what she usually does would be REALLY cute, so just...pretend she has her shit together for like,,,,,,,,,.2 seconds I guess?? ,,,,,,,sorry.

Asta plopped down on one of the couches in the Black Bulls base, letting out a sigh as Noelle sat next to him.

They had just gotten back from a mission, a simple one they had gone to on their own-just them!!!-that had been demolishing a gang in a tiny town, mostly.

The mayor of the town had still thanked them profusely, though, and it got Asta thinking.

They were so young, and yet…

"Hey, Noelle."

"Mhm?" Noelle pulled out a cleaning cloth she carried and her wand, having gotten a bit of dirt on it during a battle and wanting something idle to do.

(Plus, she'd never be able to do it in peace normally. All of the others were off somewhere else.

She ignored for the moment that she was alone with Asta; she had to get used to it eventually.)

Asta stretched, raising his arms above his head and being rewarded by the soft 'pop' of his elbows before he swung them down onto his knees, his eyes following them. "Do you ever think about how...erm…" His nose wrinkled for a moment, looking for words as he raised his head and looked at the ceiling. "Like...how people like mayors and high priests and stuff praise us, even though we're young and stuff?"

Noelle huffed. "Of course I don't. We're there to help them, they _should_ be thanking us."

Asta made a kind of 'thinking' noise as he leaned back, closing his eyes. "No, I mean like…" he groaned quietly, opening his eyes and taking a moment to appreciate the ceiling. The wood actually looked pretty cool. "How...really amazing people or people who would never care about kids our age revere us, just cause we're knights...I guess."

Noelle huffed again, a little frustration beginning to coat her words. "We're supposed to be revered!"

Asta groaned again. "I _know_ that! But it just…" He looked down again. "...feels a little weird, I guess."

He sighed, a long one that said everything he wasn't saying-'holy shit, words are hard.' "I guess I'm just trying to say...it's kinda weird, being thanked and called… _powerful_ by people like mayors and royals and nobles." He looked to the sky again. "It's...really _weird,_ since...in any other situation I'd just be a random annoying peasant kid who, even if I _did_ help, I'd just be brushed off." He paused, and smiled again- _how strange it was to see it gone_ -"But I guess that's just the cool thing about all of this Magic Knight stuff, huh, Noelle?" He turned to her, still beaming.

Noelle blinked.

He wasn't wrong.

They were young, and yet...and yet adults and royals and nobles would praise them, or acknowledge them-even that seemed a little insane.

Because Noelle...Noelle was looked down upon in the same way.

Her lack of magic control threw any credibility out the window, for her.

So for people to praise her power, to thank her for helping them- _powerful people who used to look down on her_ -was a little odd.

Since, in any other situation, she'd just be the failed royal with no control who would be insulted and thrown aside even if she tried to help, criticized for _every little mistake_ when she did.

So she blinked, and laughed.

And laughed, and _laughed._

She had been calling Asta a peasant all this time.

She had been calling herself a _royal_ all this time.

When truly, she was the peasant among them.

When truly, they were the same, at base value; where they were, at least.

Once tears began to prick her eyes, she finally looked up at Asta, smiling sweetly as they locked eyes. "Yeah. Yeah, I think I get it."

Asta blinked, lowering his arms from his 'are you ok??' position as his face morphed into confusion and he tilted his head. "How? And why were you laughing so hard??"

She kept on smiling, wand in her lap, tossed aside in favor of more important matters as she folded her hands on top of it. "I've been thinking you're the peasant and I'm the royal this whole time, when really...we're both the same."

Asta paused and nodded, sitting back a little more and relaxing a bit. "Yeah...like...we were at the same point for where we were, cause you couldn't control your magic very well, right?"

Noelle blinked, smile dropped, before she burst into another fit of laughter, lifting up a hand and smiling a little teasingly at Asta again. "Who told you you were allowed to read my mind?" She dropped a small bubble of water on his arm.

She took a moment to appreciate her control.

Asta did it for her, smiling blindingly.

Before he could congratulate her, though, she laughed again and turned away. "But yeah, you...got it perfectly."

Asta's smile turned a little less...sunny, and a little more warm. It grew smaller but still held all the warmth the sun could give, right on his lips. "I've always kinda known we couldn't be that different." His look became a little far-away and he looked to the ceiling again, Noelle's eyes glued to his face as his smile stayed, but bittered, just a small bit. "Beaten down for basically opposite reasons." His smile grew again into all it's toothy glory. "Two sides of a coin, right?"

Noelle felt a blush finally rising on her cheeks, but she just looked away and nodded. "R-right. Sure."

She smiled a little to herself, though.

Such strange insight, pulling such a realization from her, one he already had made…

How odd, the knowledge in the colors of emotions that he holds.


End file.
